Time Heals All Wounds
by Marimba Buddy
Summary: While doing his best as a father, Humphrey still struggles with the separation from his own parents. Also, his youngest son Runt is beginning to have hardships of his own. How will they both learn to push through their troubles and keep their heads held high?


**Chapter 1-Echoes of the Past**

"Ah!" The old grey wolf grunted in pain, his body slowly growing weaker with every passing day.

"Are you ok, honey?" his mate asked, holding him as best she could as he struggled to regain his balance.

"I've been better," he said softly. "Much better."

"We have to keep moving," she told him. "If we keep stopping, we'll die in this cold for sure."

"I'm already dying, Mary," her mate said. "I'm too old for this. I can't keep fighting it much longer."

"Don't say that!" Mary insisted. "It's just another minor disease. You've fought them all off before!"

"I was younger," he replied. "Younger, more full of energy, and I had a good reason to fight to live. For you, and for-"

He stopped abruptly as they both sighed in sadness.

"I still miss him, Richard," Mary said, tears starting to form. "Every day. I miss him."

"I do, too," Richard said. "Our little Humphrey. Such a handsome young pup he was. If only he had the opportunity to grow up, to become the omega he was destined to be, to have a family of his own…"

"I know, honey," she said. "But that was quite a few years ago. We can't change what happened."

Richard growled. "If only I'd seen them coming sooner. I would've gotten us outta there. We would've all been safe. But no, I thought they'd never find us in there. I was too cocky."

"Richard, don't blame yourself, dear. There's nothing you can do about it now."

He sighed. "I know, I know. It's still a shame that my mistake cost us our pup's life, and almost our own, too. And for what? Years of traveling, spending these last few months getting older and sicker? Some life."

"I'd rather spend it with you than by myself," Mary said, licking his face. "Any day."

He managed a smile.

"Come on. Let's keep moving."

* * *

You don't stand a chance against us!"

"I don't think so, Stinky! We're gonna win, this time!"

"In your dreams! Hit it, bro!"

Runt placed himself in position. "Ready!"

"I'm all set!" their sister Claudette shouted.

"Go!"

They all pushed off and the log sled began moving down the snow-covered hill. The cold air was a bit icy at first, but they ignored it. They needed to focus if they were going to beat their cousins again. Although they weren't actually related, they felt like cousins because their dads loved each other like brothers.

The trees were passing them quicker and quicker as the hill became steeper. It wasn't a super big hill, but it was big enough for them to practice on. After all, Runt needed the practice to become as good as his dad.

Suddenly, another log sled passed in front of them, their two "cousins" smiling back at them.

"Oh, hi! Don't mind us!" one of them, Ryan, shouted back,

"Yeah, we're just on our way to the finish line!" his sister Tania added as they sped further down the hill.

"Faster, lil' bro!" Stinky called. "We're losing them!"

"I'm trying!" Runt shouted back. "I'm still getting used to doing this in the snow!"

"They're getting away!" Claudette said.

Runt squinted in determination, ready to get his steering down. "Stinky, do you think you could lean back a little?"

Stinky did so, the sled seemed to thrust forward in speed. The bottom of the hill grew closer and closer, and with the help of a small hill near the bottom, they caught air and landed safely at the bottom, only to find the other two waiting for them, smiles on their faces.

"Hey, look who turned up!" Tania said, giggling.

"You got lucky!"Stinky said, jumping out. "We're not used to this in the snow! Besides, you had an unfair advantage with only the two of you!"

"Sure," Ryan said. "Whatever you say, Stinky!"  
Stinky growled lightly.

Suddenly, a pair of howls caught their attention.

"I think it's dinnertime," said Claudette.

"This isn't over!" Stinky called to the others as they started walking their separate ways. "We'll be back to settle this tomorrow!"

"We'll be ready for it!" Ryan laughed, as he and his sister ran off toward their den.

Claudette looked back and noticed Runt still sitting on the log.

"You ok, bro?"

"That's never happened to me before!" Runt said, clearly upset at the loss.

"Don't worry. You're already getting pretty good. You'll be as good as Dad in no time! Besides, we'll get them tomorrow!"

Runt only slightly nodded but didn't look up as they walked back to their parents' den.

"There you are!" Kate said cheerfully as they arrived. "Dinner's ready. Did you have fun?"

"If you call 'losing' fun," grumbled Stinky.

"Well, that's a part of life, Stinky," said Kate.

"Yeah, son," said Humphrey. "Me and my buddies used to race against each other all the time."

"Did you ever race in the snow?" Stinky asked.

"Absolutely, we did."

"Runt's still trying to work out his snow steering," said Stinky.

It was then that Humphrey noticed that Runt had not said a word and was staring down at the ground. He wondered if he should say something, but decided to wait until after dinner.

* * *

Richard and Mary continued walking through the snow-blanketed forest. The air was growing colder, and the sky was getting darker. Before long, it would be nightfall.

"Honey, do you think we should find someplace to sleep soon?" Mary asked her mate.

"Just a little farther, dear," he responded.

"How much farther?" she asked, rolling her eyes slightly. "Last time you said that we barely found someplace in the dark."

"Not much farther," he said, trying to find any reason he could to keep going.

"Well, can we please find somewhere to go before we become colder than those icicles on the trees?"  
Richard sighed and shook his head. Leave it to his mate to exaggerate things at a time like this.

"Let's just go on for a little bit longer."

"What if we run into another ferocious pack? I can't run anymore today."

Richard sighed again. "Ok, dear. We'll find a cave somewhere."

After about twenty minutes of searching, they found a small alcove-like area with a bit of ground serving as a roof. They settled down inside and got comfortable.

"I do hope we find someplace to stay for good, soon," said Mary hopefully. "I'm tired of traveling all the time."

"I am too, dear. But we have to do what we can."

"I know, hon."

"Let's just get some shut-eye and we'll let the future take care of itself."

"Ok."

They both laid down their heads and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Runt sat outside the den after dinner. While Stinky and Claudette were playing and laughing, Kate and Humphrey were growing concerned.

"You should talk to him," Kate told her mate.

"About today?" Humphrey asked.

"Not just today. I think he feels like he let you down. He wants to be just like you. He hasn't learned to let go of his failures yet."

 _Let go_. How hard it could sometimes be to learn how to let go. It was rather painful for both of them.

"Ok, hon. I will."

Humphrey walked outside and sat down next to his youngest son.

"How are you doing, Runt?"

Runt didn't respond.

"Is it about your loss today?"

A few seconds went by, and Runt lightly nodded.

"You know, it's just like your mom and I have always told you. Losing is a part of life-"

"It's not that, Dad," Runt finally spoke up. "I wanted to do it as well as you do."

"But you're getting better, son," said Humphrey. "Besides, it takes time to learn it. I wasn't near as good as I am now when I was your age. In fact, I didn't even start until I was a little older. You're not seeing just how far you've come."

"I still want to get better."

"You will, Runt, with time."

"I hope so."

"Runt?" Kate called from inside the den. "Come to bed, please."

"Your mother's calling," said Humphrey with a grin.

Runt tried to crack a smile, but Humphrey knew it would take a little longer for a genuine smile to show up again.

Humphrey watched his son get up and walk into the den before turning back to look at the setting sun, which was something rare in the winter with the clouds and snowfall. A breeze came down and caused Humphrey to shiver slightly. This winter felt like it would be a cold one, which he was not looking forward to, but they would manage like they always did.

A small twig snapping made Humphrey turn behind him at the approaching wolf, a brown wolf with a caring face and a scar down one of his legs.

"I heard your pups beat mine in their race today," Humphrey said with a smile.

Reagan chuckled. "Yeah. They were talking about it at dinner. Wouldn't stop, either. Tonya kept telling them to eat up."

"Typical," scoffed Humphrey, thinking of his own pups.

"So how are things on this side of the park?" Reagan asked, taking a seat beside his friend.

"Runt seems to be taking the loss pretty hard. I think he feels like he's disappointed me because he's not that good on log-boarding in the snow."

"Sorry to hear that," said Reagan. "I always liked Runt. He's so much like you are, only a lot younger."

"Not that we knew each other back that early," Humphrey pointed out.

"True, but I would imagine you had to be something like that, before...well, you know…"

Humphrey knew. He had only told a few others of his early past prior to arriving at Jasper Park. The most painful part of his life: being separated from his parents. The worst part of it all was, it left such a strong imprint in his mind that he had trouble recalling any happy moment prior to that night. The thought of his parents only brought painful memories.

 _If only they were still alive_ , Humphrey thought to himself. _If only I could see them one last time_.

"Listen, Humphrey," Reagan's voice interrupted his thoughts. "I know it's tough, but you have to hang in there. I'm sure they'd be proud of you. I mean, you have a family of your own."

"So do you," said Humphrey. "I mean, you lost your parents when you were young, too, didn't you?"

Reagan sighed. "Yeah, followed by the biggest mistake of my life," he said, slightly rubbing the scar on his left leg. "But hey, that's what life's all about, right? Learning from your mistakes, doing your duty, protecting the ones you love."

"And letting go, of course," Humphrey added.

"Of course," Reagan agreed. "None of us would be here if we never learned how to let go."

"I still sometimes hear Don talking to me," Humphrey said. "I still miss him, too."

"We all do, Humphrey, but that's another part of life. He's done his duty, and we still have to do ours. Though I would certainly prefer never to have to fight another battle like the one with William and his wolves."

"Shh! Don't say that so loudly," Humphrey urged. "Kate still has nightmares about that sometimes."

"Sorry. You're right, I should've remembered."

"It may have been a few years, but some things you never forget."

"Yeah, I get that. Well, I just wanted to talk. I'd better get back home before Tonya gets too worried. See you tomorrow, buddy."

"See you."

As Reagan left and Humphrey turned to his own den, his thoughts turned to his parents once again. He never did find out what had happened to them. All he remembered was his mother telling him to run and he did, and things were a bit blurry after that. He still wasn't sure exactly how he ended up at Jasper, but he was glad he did. Still, he wished he could see them again, to let them know that he was ok and that he loved them. But even though that didn't seem possible, he had to let it go and appreciate the family he had now.

He laid down next to Kate and gave her a lick on the cheek, causing her to smile as they both fell asleep.

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm back! And while I don't intend on this to be a full-length sequel to "Pain Is Strong, Love Is Stronger" in terms of length and suspense, I hope it'll still serve as a decent followup that retains some familiar characters and elements but still has some originality to it. I'm still not sure exactly where I'm going with this story but I have a pretty good idea. Until next time...


End file.
